The Road to Kei Lan <Kei Lan, Earth Kingdom>

[tarot]

It was an overall pleasant day, the sun warmed the earth around mid-day, while a few white clouds floated across the sky. A slight breeze played on the air, shuffling both his dark sepia hair and papers every once and a while. For this reason, the architect had placed a small rock on each of the top two corners of his page. A small piece of charcoal was clutched in his hand, as he looked up at the small wooden footbridge which he'd just crossed. It was only spanned a small stream, easily traversable in a leap, but the banks of either side made if difficult should a wagon wish to cross.

Arai was headed back home now, having just completed the repairs on a dam in a village to the north east of Kei Lan. Without any pressing jobs, he'd decided to take his time on the return trip.He'd been walking all morning, and decided the shade of the great tree which he now sat was a good place to rest, and have a bite to eat. His small bundle of bread, cheese and fruit was laid out on a handkerchief to his right, and to his left, his thong sandals sat just in front of his backpack. Arai's bare feet were gently flattened the grass beneath them. He was nestled against the rough barked tree, sitting between where the roots broke the surface of the ground. Between bites, a sketch was beginning to take shape, the same bridge which sat before him was echoed on the lines of coal on his parchment.

[sunil]

The detour took Sunil a bit too far, further from his home and intended goal in Zhy, but he wasn't about to start whining. His desire to return home, to see his family again had diminished a bit, and the earthbender was raring to stay on the road. He had no objective in mind, but Sunil was fully confident that no better place was there to be than traveling. With the gentle wind in his hair, he let a wide grin come to his face.

Near his feet was the same bird who had followed him, that brown creature with hairy feathers and a long slender beak. That kiwi, who so readily took to to the earthbender. Sunil was content with the fact that he now had a traveling companion, so he allowed the bird to stay. Weaving through his feet, the wingless bird gazed up at Sunil with his beady black eyes every now and then. The unnamed bird was quite curious about the smells in the tall man's backpack.

It wasn't long before Sunil, kiwi at his side, happened upon a man seated against a tree at the side of a road after crossing a small bridge. Since he would have felt very rude passing by without giving a pleasant word or two, Sunil stopped right as he reached the fellow. Peering down, casually trying to catch a glimpse of the man's drawing, he smiled. "Enjoying the day so far?"

[tarot]

As the man approached, Arai did not immediately look up from the paper, though not out of disrespect it seemed. He was practically radiating calm, sketching quietly. "Aye," he nodded, still pressing the coal to the parchment. "One of the best in weeks I'd say." The long stroke was ended with a soft curve as he decreased the pressure of his hand, lifting it. A smile crossed Arai's face as he finally looked up from his drawing. As he glanced to the stranger, the smudge of charcoal that now streaked his left cheek was apparent, matching the black powder which seemed to coat the fingers of his left hand. From the look of the traveler, he'd been on the road far longer than Arai, the pack which he carried seemed weighted down. Perhaps with goods? It seemed a bit much for one just traveling alone. He took in the man's face briefly, his skin was exceptionally dark, but his expression seemed kind.

However, the small creature at the man's feet quickly caught Arai's attention. Why hadn't he noticed it as the man approached? It was true that Arai was much more inclined to marvel over an ancient building or a finely crafted structure, but his curiosity was still rampant as ever, and his face showed it. With wide eyes he looked from the creature with the brown fur...no it was feathers, up to the man which it seemed to be shadowing. "What kind of animal is your little friend? I don't think I've seen one before." He watched the small bird for a moment, ducking between the newcomer's legs, weaving as it pleased. He lifted his gaze back to the man, to meet him eye to eye as he listened for the answer.

[tali]

Tali had been on the road for a while, the weather had gotten colder, she hoped that might mean she was getting closer to her ultimate goal, her clothing had changed a bit. From the last stop she'd made a wicked old man had given her a change of clothes for the road. Black breathable pants were tucked into sturdier boots, A green ao dai sat over top of a green undershirt trailing to her wrists were they were secured with buttoned black cuffs.The collar and front of the dress was black, thick and lined with gold thread at the longest points the dai came about to her calves.

A metal plate sat across each of her knuckles, slipping onto her hands easily, fitting into her fists sturdily her eyes trailed over the metal as her finger pads transversed the smooth metal curiously, So many things had changed, she didn't know if she was stronger but she had a large bruise on her back that showed she at least had been doing something. Her hair was longer now, past the curve of her hip, her bangs were trimmed, with a straight line across her brow, save for the part in the middle. On top of her head sat a black hat trimmed with wings of gold and green in square patterned chunks. Even her old bag was deviated in her last few lengths of her journey. Now a large backpack took it's place, all of her things crammed inside it. But most of her back problems were dying down, the shared pressure was better than the centered weight her side bag had. Of course her staff was strapped to the pack, even if she didn't use it much anymore she wanted to keep it on hand.

Her brown eyes lulled shut for a few strides mulling over the last weeks events, then a little past that with the encounter, she called it, in the forest with the Igni, it was just another thing she tacked to her long list of things she wanted to do. Finally when she opened her eyes she saw a stream coming up, a bit past it was a person. She squinted her eyes, was it two people? From the distance it was hard to tell, going around the group seemed like an option but after so much time walking human interaction sounded rather appealing.

[sunil]

The man's sketch seemed to be taking shape, appearing as the small bridge before them. Before he could be too absorbed in the drawing, Sunil was asked about his small traveling companion. Lifting one foot as the creature skittered around, allowing the kiwi to run underneath his sole frantically, Sunil looked down at the bird's path. The creature soon settled down behing Sunil's left leg, its fuzzy feathers unable to tickle his skin through the thick bindings around his calf. Reaching down, the earthbender took the chicken-sized creature into his arms. "Who, this little fellow? He's a kiwi...I think. I'd only heard of one a while ago. Fairly rare, from what I hear."

Running his fingers through the bird's hairy feathers, he anticipated the next question. Sunil was certain the man would next ask the bird's name. It had none, currently, but the earthbender was always open to suggestion. "He doesn't have a name yet...and he seems to like the smell of my backpack."

At that point, he knew an explanation was in order. People's backpacks hardly smelled a distinct way very often, so Sunil was prompt to follow up with an introduction. "I'm Sunil, by the way. Wandering tea merchant and earthbender."

Bending up an earth lump with a stomp of his foot, perching his callused sole right on its surface, he smiled. A passerby may assume his meager display was an attempt at appearing to be a sort of swashbuckler, but Sunil didn't really care. As the kiwi looked straight at the other man, blinking its beady black eyes, the earthbender smiled with a chuckle. "That would explain my smelly backpack..."

[tarot]

"A kiwi...interesting." Arai's face looked a little contemplative as he looked over the flightless bird, trying to recall if he'd heard the name before. After coming to no real conclusion, he smiled at the kiwi. "He certainly is a cute little guy."

He listened as the man called himself Sunil. Nodding, Arai took note of it, along with his slight introduction. It was true, the gentle wind that passed through had a sweeter smell to it, a myriad of floral scents hung around the merchant, which was actually rather soothing. It reminded him of his grandfather, who was nearing his 74th year. He was an avid tea drinker, maybe he'd buy something from Sunil as a birthday gift.

He began to offer his left hand to shake, but withdrew it noting the state which it was in; instead he offered his right. "Arai Sayu, local architect." He didn't offer forth the information that he too was an earth bender, not to be rude or secretive, only for the fact that he didn't deem it particularly necessary information. After all, he didn't choose to be a bender, but he did choose to be an architect, which is how he liked to define himself. The small bird in the man's arms stared at him intently, catching him a little off guard. Then the idea struck him. With his clean hand, he reached for one of the small berries from his lunch, offering it on a flat palm to the small bird. As the russet creature looked down at the offered food, Arai again addressed Sunil. "You look like you've been on the road for a while, where are you from?"

[tali]

At this point Tali had reached the creek, river, what was it called? She didn't know the difference really, there was something about how much of a load the water could carry, the depth, the velocity of the current. Not knowing any of these things she settled on calling it a stream. Her eyes dotted along the trail, the bridge, a good few feet away from her, and the banks of the river. She might be able to jump it though... Jumping seemed like the more amusing option, she felt she was in rather good shape, taking her pack into account didn't occur to her. She took a few steps back from the edge of the stream and then rushed forward in what she imagined was a quick pace.

Her feet left the ground and in a few seconds she landed safely on the opposite bank, her balance a little shaky but she'd crossed it, she grinned feeling rather proud of herself. Not more than a moment later the weight of her bag kicked in reeling her backwards. Rather ungracefully she flailed her arms trying to fall forward instead of back.

Her backpack fell off her shoulders into the mud of the banks but her body on the other hand, that wound up half in the river, her entire head and upper body quickly becoming soaked and muddy. Coughing up the water she placed a hand to her head feeling her soaked hair and scalp, where was her hat. Her eyes quickly dotted down stream where her hat was currently floating away to. In haste she got to her feet and plodded after it tripping into a deeper portion of the water once she grasped the fabric of the cap. Today was yet another horribly unlucky day.

[sunil]

The kiwi greedily gobbled the berries with tremendous gratitude, almost as though he hadn't eaten in days, while Sunil soon lowered him to the ground after the last was snatched from Arai's hand. Sunil nodded, almost mirroring the man's reply as he introduced himself as an architect. Sunil was fully prepared to tell tales of wonderous travels, eventually linking back to his home of Zhy, but the sound of a human or perhaps a large animal floundering in the nearby stream distracted him. As his coffee-colored eyes darted to the source of the noise, he took a few steps away. "Did you hear that?"

Looking around more, he held up a finger at the seated Arai as the kiwi scurried to his side. "Hold on a minute...or follow me. Whatever." Gazing through the brush and eventually down the stream, he caught sight of a girl who resembled something like a drowned rat. Covered with mud and water, she was not the vision of contentment. Atop the small bridge, he called out to the young woman. "You there! Do you need any help?!"

[tarot]

He smiled broadly as the long beak of the bird opened and closed, engulfing what he had offered. "I guess he was hungry." He watched as the man put down the small creature, letting go about its business, its small, stalk-like feet plodding at the grass.

A mix of concern and confusion came over Arai's features as a splash came from the nearby creek. The tea merchant seemed intent on checking it out, and had already begun to move. After a brief moment of hesitation, curiosity got the better of him, something which seemed to happen perhaps too often. He had removed his drawing from his lap, placing it where he had been sitting the moment before. Leaving his sandals where they sat, he pocketed the stub of charcoal. Barefoot he followed Sunil to a more favorable vantage point. It seemed a girl, younger than both he and the merchant, had fallen in the water.

He wasn't sure which was stranger, the fact that she was dressed for 30 degree weather, or the fact that she had fallen into such a tiny stream. Arai couldn't help but feel a bit amused, though he tried not show it, so as not to be rude as Sunil called to her.

[tali]

Standing up nearly waist deep in the water she wipes the dripping wet moisture from her face before she took on a rather embarrassed blush. There had been people around hadn't there, glancing over her shoulder slowly she continued to add color to her cheeks, they had defiantly seen most of that, she should have taken the bridge. Laughing half heartedly she smiled a touch and rang out her hair trying not to seem like that much of an idiot but it was useless at this point, she wanted to sweet together what was left of her damaged pride now but it seemed like fate wasn't at all impressed with that plan. " I'm fine.... I just, tried to jump and slipped..."

At this point another face joined the first, amazing, now she really felt silly. As she attempted to climb out of the river the bank under her feet shifted and sent her tripping back into the water after a short yelp. A few seconds and she came up coughing out water once more soaked. The stream didn't look it but it was mighty annoying. Now she just wanted to die from embarrassment, had she been on her own this silly event would be kept to herself. " Fine, I'm fine....."

[sunil]

Arai seemed as curious as he, following to the small bridge and watching the girl flounder about. Sunil would be a gentleman on the matter, offering help one more time but not going so far as to give assistance against her wishes. She clearly needed someone else to fish her out of the stream, no doubt greatly embarrassed as the two older men observed her slipping and fumbling on the muddy banks.

As his kiwi skittered not to his side, but Arai's and looked up at the man who stood as tall as Sunil, the merchant himself grew a wide grin showing he meant no harm or ill will toward the young woman. Kneeling at the edge of the wooden bridge, toes barely protruding over the threshold, he called to the girl again. Sunil managed to voice what seemed more like a humor-doused statement than a question. "You don't look fine. And you're sure you don't need help..."

[tarot]

After a moment, a quick exchange of words, it seemed that Sunil was in no hurry to help the girl. But decidedly, she looked like she really needed it, especially having slipped further into the waters. The architect hopped from atop the small footbridge, his feet making a dull, wet thud as they hit the solid muddy incline. He stepped along the dryer part of the bank, only sinking one of his feet into the muddy shallows of the stream as he extended a hand out to the young woman. "Come on." His voice was neither harsh, nor timid, as he offered his assistance.

He dug his submerged foot into the bank, twisting it slightly into the silt using a bit of bending to give him a solid stance. Being much closer than he had been, he was able to look her over proper. It seemed she too had been traveling a long time. Though as it had become all to common to see refugees now that the Fire Nation had come through the area, he hoped both their stories were not as such.

[tali]

Tali flushed and dejectedly allowed the man to help her out of the water, at least the current of the stream left all but her boots muddied.but it didn't change the fact she was soaked through. If her bag was around somewhere she'd have a change of clothes.. that would be nice. With something grounding her getting out of the water was much easier, she'd only faltered before she caught herself and soon enough she was on the back attempting to rid the moisture from her disheveled hair. Well she had needed a nice soak, it seemed she got one. Honestly she wondered what karmic forces were at work, how was this fair. Maybe she stepped on a gentleman bug.

Sheepishly she looked between the two men, neither looked like the other, they didn't seem like they would be brothers, business associates? Since each was on his own terms it was more likely they would be simple passers by, they didn't have the dynamics that old friends toted. The one who helped her seemed to be an earthbender, she noticed his odd stance, not just anyone could do that, the man on the bridge who's called out to her, she wasn't sure " Thank you... I always seem to be getting into trouble..."

[sunil]

It seemed her pride wasn't in any danger of suffering, as she didn't chide Arai one bit as he tried to help her. His superb balance on the muddy bank brought vague surprise to Sunil, leading him to believe he also was an earthbender. As Arai helped the girl from the water, Sunil walked up and watched. His unnamed kiwi followed closely after, staying close at his side.

Crossing his arms with a smirk on his face, almost taunting when there was no need for such, Sunil looked down to the girl. Clearly her words dwelt heavily on semantics, since no one could possibly always get into trouble, but that was no hinderance to healthy ribbing. However, he figured he would downplay it in case she was in a sunken mood. Judging by the looks of things, she probably was. Loosing his arms, allowing one to fall to his side loosely, he used the opposite hand to gesture. "Oh, come on. At least there's not a tiny rain cloud following you around."

[tarot]

Before he released her hand, Arai got a decent look at the metal guards, almost like brass knuckles on her hands. Apparently this girl would be able to defend herself if she needed to, which was a good thing considering she looked like she'd been traveling for a while, possibly alone. Upon hearing Sunil's comment however, Arai lifted an eyebrow. The tea merchant certainly didn't seem like the most helpful of people in this instance.

After getting her back on solid footing he replied to the girl's appreciation. "Its no problem." He then wiped his soggy, and decidedly muddy foot onto the grass, letting the blades wipe the silt away. "Though, I can't help but wonder how you got into such a small stream." He'd give her the benefit of a doubt, maybe she'd leaned over to fill a water skin or something? He also wiped the hand he'd used to pull her out on the side of his pants, leaving a darkened streak of khaki where the moisture soaked in.